In Group I of the Euro 2024 qualifiers, Romania will look to extend their unbeaten run in the group when they welcome Israel to the National Stadium in Bucharest on Saturday night. Visitors Israel, meanwhile, are looking to make it their third straight win in qualifying and climb into the top two of the group.
After failing to qualify for Euro 2020, Romania have put themselves in a good position for Germany 2024 as they picked up eight points from their first four matches to kick off the tournament. Romania beat Andorra and Belarus in quick succession with enthusiasm and determination in March before drawing with Kosovo and respectively in June. Romanian captain Valentin Mihaila scored two goals late in an exciting game against Switzerland, including the equalizer in the 92nd minute, to help his team hold on for a hard-fought point away from home at 2-2.
In the aftermath, Romania coach Eduard Giordano encouraged his players to approach the upcoming matches with "utmost determination and focus" as they look to stay in the top two of Group I. They are ranked 48th globally according to FIFA, and are unbeaten in five matches and have lost only two out of ten in all competitions. Romania, who are ranked 48th in the world according to the FIFA rankings, have maintained a five-match unbeaten run and have lost only two of their ten matches in all competitions, but both of those losses came at home to Montenegro (3-0) and Slovenia (2-1). They have not gone unbeaten in six matches since 2018, while they have not lost in their first two meetings with Israel, first winning 2-1 in a March 2018 away match and then drawing 2-2 in a March 2022 match.
In contrast, Israel amassed just one point from their opening two games, but have climbed up the Group I table as they beat Belarus and Andorra 2-1 in consecutive matches in June. Despite controlling 80% of the ball against Andorra, they only managed nine shots on goal in the entire match, and fortunately for Tottenham Hotspur, a goal from winger Manoel Solomon after sixty minutes of play ensured that they earned all three points.
Israel, ranked 76th in the world by FIFA, have never qualified for the European Championships, but they are still on course for a top-two finish in Group I as they currently have seven points from four games, just one point behind Saturday's opponents, Romania, and three behind leaders Switzerland. Despite their slight lack of away form, if they can win in Romania then they will be confident of their chances of winning their next matches against Belarus, Kosovo and Andorra and hopefully reaching a major tournament for the first time since the 1970 World Cup.
Taking into account the two teams' records, strengths, and history, it is predicted that Romania will beat Israel 2-1 in this match. Although Israel has been in good form recently, Romania's home advantage and their unbeaten record will give them the edge in this match. This is a very important match for both teams, as Romania will try to keep their unbeaten record intact, while Israel will try to win their third consecutive match. We expect this to be an exciting game.
